A bridge team needs at least 4 players. I and a partner will play a set of hands at North and South at one table and our teammates will play the same set of hands as East and West at another table. After the hands are played, then scores are compared.
A Beginner's Guide to Knockouts and Swiss Team Events
December 11, 2011 - 13:48 — Chris Webb
Some time ago, I was asked by some of the newer players to explain how Knockout Team Events worked because there seemed to be a great deal of confusion on participatory guidelines. Then to add to the chaos, there are Knockouts and Compact Knockouts (each with different structures) and there is a difference between the two depending if the setting is a Sectional or Regional Tournament. Then for Swiss Teams, we now see variations such as Stratified, Strata-Flighted, Bracketed Swiss Teams, and of course the Eight is Enough Team game we run on Thursday evenings at the club. So I will attempt to explain the differences to help clarify the situation.
Let's start by documenting that all of these are Team events. A team may consist of 4, 5, or 6 players for all events except the Compact Knockout (for reasons that will be explained later). Teams participating in a Compact Knockout are limited to 4 only. The team divides itself into 2 pairs at a time with one pair sitting N-S at the assigned home table and the other sitting E-W at the opponent teams' home table. If there are an odd number of teams, it is possible to have 3 teams play against each other simultaneously. In that instance, Team 1 N-S will play against Team 3 E-W, Team 2 N-S will play against Team 1 E-W and Team 3 N-S will play against for Team 2 E-W for the first set of boards (typically 6). After completing the first 6 boards, the E-W players will take those boards to their home table and move to the next higher table to play the boards already played by their teammates.
All ACBL tournament Swiss Team events are currently stratified which means that the players are divided into categories designed to reflect ability. I say this with a straight face although most people realize that the accumulation of Masterpoints many times represents an attendance record more than a true reflection of ability. Having said that, it is the system we have so we'll make the best of it. While the actual strata is determined by the local tournament chairperson and sometimes varies slightly, the current standard is as follows for Swiss Team Events:
Flight A: unlimited, Flight B: 0-2000 MP, Flight C: 0-750 MP
However, Bracketed Knockouts and Compact Knockouts are not stratified at all. Ok, it’s starting to get confusing. Let's take a look at each event one a time.
Bracketed Knockouts:
This has become by far and away the most popular type of event for newer players attempting to get those elusive Gold points in order to punch that Life Master ticket. While it is possible to obtain Gold points in a couple of annual club events such as the Instant Matchpoint game, they are most often awarded at ACBL Regionals and NABC events. Sectional tournaments are limited to Silver points. Regionals are usually weeklong extravaganzas, some of which may produce as many as 10,000 tables over the duration. The large number of players is what makes this event so attractive because it offers field protection. Allow me to explain.
When a team captain purchases the entry into the event, he or she also provides a ticket to the director with the team captain name and the total number of masterpoints for the entire team and the number of members. If the team has 5 or 6 members the total is divided by the corresponding number to get an average. This average is then multiplied by 4 to get a value which can be used to rank the team against a normal 4 person team. After all, only 4 players can play at the same time so the extra points aren't always in use. For example, if a 6 player team has a total of 1200 points, divide by 6 to get an average of 200 per player multiplied by 4 to get 800. This 800 is the number used when ranking the teams. Do the math and it's not too difficult to determine how to manipulate the point totals for your team.
When all of the entries are sold, the director will rank all of the teams in Masterpoint total order from highest to lowest. At a National event, there could be as many 150-200 teams or even 16 brackets. At a Regional event, it is not uncommon to see 5-8 brackets. The bracket sizes are determined by the director and are not always uniform. Most often they will consist of 11-16 teams. Usually, the director will look for significant gaps in Masterpoint totals and divide them there. The bottom line is that the more teams entered into the event, the more compressed the brackets. This means there will be a much more narrow range between the team at the top of the bracket and the one at the bottom and the ability to play against a team with similar talent and experience. If there are not many entries sold, then there could quite a wide disparity in the top and bottom teams. This happens quite often at Sectional Tournaments where there are usually only 1 or 2 brackets participating.
Once the brackets are assigned, the team will compete only within that bracket. The initial match could be a head-to-head or a 3 way match as described in paragraph 2. In a full Bracketed Knockout, there are always 24 boards played. If it is head to head, then 12 boards are played and scores compared. If there is a 5 or 6 person team, then the person or pair who sat out the first 12 boards will play the second half and someone else will rotate out. Additionally, after the scores are compared the team that is trailing has the option of switching opponents and having their N-S pair sit E-W instead for the 2nd 12 boards. The side leading also has this option, but only provided the opponents do not object. If it is a 3-way match, then 6 boards are played against each team and then scores compared. A team can only switch their N-S and E-W pairs against objection if they are trailing in BOTH matches.
At the end of 24 boards and all scores compared, the winning team will report to the director and purchase another entry for the next session. The loser qualifies for the pairs and is out of the event (hence the term Knockout). A 3-way is a little different. In a 3-way match, 2 of the 3 teams will advance, so if a team loses both matches, it is out of the competition. If a team wins both matches, it obviously advances. The tricky part is when each team wins one match. Then the differential is used. Each team will add the respective margins of victory and defeat to get a sum differential. The team with the lowest differential is out.
For example: Team A defeats Team B by a margin of +7, but loses to Team C by -4. Team B defeats Team C by +8. Therefore:
Team A: +7 + (-4) = +3
Team B: (-7) + 8 = +1
Team C: +4 + (-
= (-4)
Team C has the lowest differential of (-4) and is therefore eliminated, Team A and Team B advance. Note also that the sum total of all 3 differentials is zero. This is always true.
Masterpoint awards vary from Bracket to Bracket and decrease as the upper masterpoint limit drops. An example of how some of the bracket ranges might appear is shown below:
Bracket 1: 12,000-125,000
Bracket 2: 5,500 - 11,687
Bracket 3: 3434 - 5285
Bracket 4: 1980 - 3150
Bracket 5: 885 - 1865
Bracket 6: 367 - 845
Bracket 7: 35 - 356
Generally speaking, in the example above the masterpoint awards are prorated and the top four brackets pay all Gold points for the overall awards. Below that, the awards will be half Red/half Gold or 2/3 Red 1/3 Gold depending on the upper limit of the Bracket. The theory is that in order to make Life Master, you should have to compete against Life Masters. If the entire bracket is composed of Non Life Masters, then the Gold points issued will be severely limited. Additionally, in order to be awarded Gold points, it is necessary to win 2 matches which constitutes a double session. The other major factor which determines the masterpoint awards is that the awards are based on the full allotment of tables in the Brackets beneath you. So if you are in Bracket 5, the match awards are based on the tables in Bracket 5, 6 & 7. Bracket 1 gets the benefit of the entire field.
Compact Knockouts:
Compact Knockouts brackets are handled exactly the same as Full Knockouts with the exception that they are divided into 12 board matches instead of the regular 24. These may be 2 head to head 12 board matches, 2 3-way 6 board matches, or 1 of each. Because the entry fee is the same as a regular KO, the player(s) are entitled to play 24 boards.
Here is the primary difference: because each match is restricted to 12 boards against one team or 6 against each of two different teams in a 3-way match, there is no opportunity to swap out players at the intermission because there is no intermission. When you compare scores after 12 boards, the match is over. It is this fact which restricts a Compact Knockout team to only 4 members. Again the winners will advance to play a second match against another winning team, but the losing team still gets to play another 12 boards against another losing team (known as the consolation round). Depending on the size of the tournament, this consolation bracket may continue into the next session. Again, Compact KO's at Regional Tournaments also pay Gold points if you win 2 matches. If you win the first, but lose the second you only receive the match award for the first win which is typically a fraction of a Red point.
I will continue this discussion on Swiss Teams in a separate post as this one has taken on a life of its own and grown fairly long.
Chris Webb's blog Login to post comments
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&...t8Zk_OsbYp
A Beginner's Guide to Knockouts and Swiss Team Events
December 11, 2011 - 13:48 — Chris Webb
Some time ago, I was asked by some of the newer players to explain how Knockout Team Events worked because there seemed to be a great deal of confusion on participatory guidelines. Then to add to the chaos, there are Knockouts and Compact Knockouts (each with different structures) and there is a difference between the two depending if the setting is a Sectional or Regional Tournament. Then for Swiss Teams, we now see variations such as Stratified, Strata-Flighted, Bracketed Swiss Teams, and of course the Eight is Enough Team game we run on Thursday evenings at the club. So I will attempt to explain the differences to help clarify the situation.
Let's start by documenting that all of these are Team events. A team may consist of 4, 5, or 6 players for all events except the Compact Knockout (for reasons that will be explained later). Teams participating in a Compact Knockout are limited to 4 only. The team divides itself into 2 pairs at a time with one pair sitting N-S at the assigned home table and the other sitting E-W at the opponent teams' home table. If there are an odd number of teams, it is possible to have 3 teams play against each other simultaneously. In that instance, Team 1 N-S will play against Team 3 E-W, Team 2 N-S will play against Team 1 E-W and Team 3 N-S will play against for Team 2 E-W for the first set of boards (typically 6). After completing the first 6 boards, the E-W players will take those boards to their home table and move to the next higher table to play the boards already played by their teammates.
All ACBL tournament Swiss Team events are currently stratified which means that the players are divided into categories designed to reflect ability. I say this with a straight face although most people realize that the accumulation of Masterpoints many times represents an attendance record more than a true reflection of ability. Having said that, it is the system we have so we'll make the best of it. While the actual strata is determined by the local tournament chairperson and sometimes varies slightly, the current standard is as follows for Swiss Team Events:
Flight A: unlimited, Flight B: 0-2000 MP, Flight C: 0-750 MP
However, Bracketed Knockouts and Compact Knockouts are not stratified at all. Ok, it’s starting to get confusing. Let's take a look at each event one a time.
Bracketed Knockouts:
This has become by far and away the most popular type of event for newer players attempting to get those elusive Gold points in order to punch that Life Master ticket. While it is possible to obtain Gold points in a couple of annual club events such as the Instant Matchpoint game, they are most often awarded at ACBL Regionals and NABC events. Sectional tournaments are limited to Silver points. Regionals are usually weeklong extravaganzas, some of which may produce as many as 10,000 tables over the duration. The large number of players is what makes this event so attractive because it offers field protection. Allow me to explain.
When a team captain purchases the entry into the event, he or she also provides a ticket to the director with the team captain name and the total number of masterpoints for the entire team and the number of members. If the team has 5 or 6 members the total is divided by the corresponding number to get an average. This average is then multiplied by 4 to get a value which can be used to rank the team against a normal 4 person team. After all, only 4 players can play at the same time so the extra points aren't always in use. For example, if a 6 player team has a total of 1200 points, divide by 6 to get an average of 200 per player multiplied by 4 to get 800. This 800 is the number used when ranking the teams. Do the math and it's not too difficult to determine how to manipulate the point totals for your team.
When all of the entries are sold, the director will rank all of the teams in Masterpoint total order from highest to lowest. At a National event, there could be as many 150-200 teams or even 16 brackets. At a Regional event, it is not uncommon to see 5-8 brackets. The bracket sizes are determined by the director and are not always uniform. Most often they will consist of 11-16 teams. Usually, the director will look for significant gaps in Masterpoint totals and divide them there. The bottom line is that the more teams entered into the event, the more compressed the brackets. This means there will be a much more narrow range between the team at the top of the bracket and the one at the bottom and the ability to play against a team with similar talent and experience. If there are not many entries sold, then there could quite a wide disparity in the top and bottom teams. This happens quite often at Sectional Tournaments where there are usually only 1 or 2 brackets participating.
Once the brackets are assigned, the team will compete only within that bracket. The initial match could be a head-to-head or a 3 way match as described in paragraph 2. In a full Bracketed Knockout, there are always 24 boards played. If it is head to head, then 12 boards are played and scores compared. If there is a 5 or 6 person team, then the person or pair who sat out the first 12 boards will play the second half and someone else will rotate out. Additionally, after the scores are compared the team that is trailing has the option of switching opponents and having their N-S pair sit E-W instead for the 2nd 12 boards. The side leading also has this option, but only provided the opponents do not object. If it is a 3-way match, then 6 boards are played against each team and then scores compared. A team can only switch their N-S and E-W pairs against objection if they are trailing in BOTH matches.
At the end of 24 boards and all scores compared, the winning team will report to the director and purchase another entry for the next session. The loser qualifies for the pairs and is out of the event (hence the term Knockout). A 3-way is a little different. In a 3-way match, 2 of the 3 teams will advance, so if a team loses both matches, it is out of the competition. If a team wins both matches, it obviously advances. The tricky part is when each team wins one match. Then the differential is used. Each team will add the respective margins of victory and defeat to get a sum differential. The team with the lowest differential is out.
For example: Team A defeats Team B by a margin of +7, but loses to Team C by -4. Team B defeats Team C by +8. Therefore:
Team A: +7 + (-4) = +3
Team B: (-7) + 8 = +1
Team C: +4 + (-
= (-4) Team C has the lowest differential of (-4) and is therefore eliminated, Team A and Team B advance. Note also that the sum total of all 3 differentials is zero. This is always true.
Masterpoint awards vary from Bracket to Bracket and decrease as the upper masterpoint limit drops. An example of how some of the bracket ranges might appear is shown below:
Bracket 1: 12,000-125,000
Bracket 2: 5,500 - 11,687
Bracket 3: 3434 - 5285
Bracket 4: 1980 - 3150
Bracket 5: 885 - 1865
Bracket 6: 367 - 845
Bracket 7: 35 - 356
Generally speaking, in the example above the masterpoint awards are prorated and the top four brackets pay all Gold points for the overall awards. Below that, the awards will be half Red/half Gold or 2/3 Red 1/3 Gold depending on the upper limit of the Bracket. The theory is that in order to make Life Master, you should have to compete against Life Masters. If the entire bracket is composed of Non Life Masters, then the Gold points issued will be severely limited. Additionally, in order to be awarded Gold points, it is necessary to win 2 matches which constitutes a double session. The other major factor which determines the masterpoint awards is that the awards are based on the full allotment of tables in the Brackets beneath you. So if you are in Bracket 5, the match awards are based on the tables in Bracket 5, 6 & 7. Bracket 1 gets the benefit of the entire field.
Compact Knockouts:
Compact Knockouts brackets are handled exactly the same as Full Knockouts with the exception that they are divided into 12 board matches instead of the regular 24. These may be 2 head to head 12 board matches, 2 3-way 6 board matches, or 1 of each. Because the entry fee is the same as a regular KO, the player(s) are entitled to play 24 boards.
Here is the primary difference: because each match is restricted to 12 boards against one team or 6 against each of two different teams in a 3-way match, there is no opportunity to swap out players at the intermission because there is no intermission. When you compare scores after 12 boards, the match is over. It is this fact which restricts a Compact Knockout team to only 4 members. Again the winners will advance to play a second match against another winning team, but the losing team still gets to play another 12 boards against another losing team (known as the consolation round). Depending on the size of the tournament, this consolation bracket may continue into the next session. Again, Compact KO's at Regional Tournaments also pay Gold points if you win 2 matches. If you win the first, but lose the second you only receive the match award for the first win which is typically a fraction of a Red point.
I will continue this discussion on Swiss Teams in a separate post as this one has taken on a life of its own and grown fairly long.
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